Giuliani Blasts Claim He Said 50-50 Chance Christie Lied About Bridgegate

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani blasted publications claiming he said there was a “fifty-fifty” chance New Jersey Governor Chris Christie wasn’t directly involved in Bridgegate, saying he was only referring to what a New York Times article suggested.

Speaking to Geraldo Rivera on his WABC radio program Wednesday, Giuliani defended Christie, arguing that “even if you are a hands-on mayor or governor or chief executive, at best you must know about ten or twenty percent of what’s going on” because of the nature of the job.

Rivera asked directly about a piece in the New York Times detailing the Christie administration’s plan to collect endorsements from swing-city mayors, noting that he believed that article led some to “infer that… there was this conversation” about closing Fort Lee off from the George Washington Bridge beforehand. Giuliani replied that the piece left the reader with a “fifty-fifty” belief that Christie might have colluded with his staff about the George Washington Bridge. “It leaves you with no possible way of knowing did she discuss it with him or didn’t she discuss it with him,” Giuliani remarked.

Capital New York, which published the remark and noted its contrast with far more generous arguments Giuliani has made in Christie’s favor, received clarification from the former mayor after the remark that he thought the article made the question of whether Christie was involved in Bridgegate a coin toss. “I’m 100 percent he didn’t know of the bridge orders,” he told the publication.

Giuliani also railed to Politico about the interpretation of his comments on Capital New York and elsewhere, telling the site he was “offended” by the idea that he personally had doubts as to Christie’s innocence and that the comment was “taken out of context.”

Giuliani has been one of Christie’s closest allies and supporters for years. The former New York City mayor hosted fundraisers for Christie during last year’s gubernatorial campaign and supported him before Bridgegate and continues to do so. Giuliani has argued that Christie was no more aware of the bridge closures than Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was of the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. He has called the investigation a “partisan witch hunt” and Christie “credible” on the matter.